Flyaway
by Astrum Ululatum
Summary: Everything was so mixed up; emotions either ran too high or they were simply nonexistent, making an attempt to hold base on Cybertron possibly prove fatal to the normally stoic and put together mech. And maybe...maybe he's not so cold after all.
1. Part I

**Author's Note:** Wow...first story posted in...forever. This has actually been sitting on my computer for a quite a while now, but I didn't want to post it until it was finished or else I'd catch up with myself and never be done with it. But I did it! This story is now fully written and it's just a matter of spacing out the posting dates! If you like it, review and you'll get the next part sooner. -wink wink- There's three of them, by the way; each a little longer than the previous one, so don't be too displeased with the length...or lack thereof.

And I apologize to Laserbeak and Thunderckracker fans...please don't come after me with pitchforks and torches for this. ):

Speaking of torches... Flamers, while regretfully beyond my power to abolish completely, will be cheerfully ignored and their spiteful little flames will be used to make yummy s'mores, which I will serve to all helpful (and happy) reviewers! Thank you~

**Disclaimer:** All is owned by Hasbro, I'm just the nerd who decided to mess with their characters.

* * *

**Flyaway**

Part I

The barren landscape of the now-dead Cybertron offered no comfort to the lone Cassettes sitting some miles off of the Decepticon base, and it gave no condolences to the anguished mech walking away; it only gave the Cassette a feeling of icy bitterness and despair. Rumble clutched Laserbeak close to his chest as he watched the metal condor's killer walk away. He was confused, he was hurt, he wanted to know what was going on…and still he was not sure as to what drove him to call after the traitorous mech.

"Th-Thundercracker!"

The blue Seeker stopped and turned slowly to glare at the tiny Cassette. Rumble suddenly found he had nothing to say and bowed his head. The Seeker scowled as he whirled around and continued on his way.

The little blue Cassette made a noise like a sigh and his shoulders slumped; what was going on? Rumble gazed down at his fallen brother—Laserbeak was no Frenzy, but a brother nonetheless—hugged him tightly for a moment, and then let him go. Filled with resolve, Rumble gently lay down the condor's body and ran after the wayward Seeker.

"Thundercracker!" he called out again, but this time his voice did not shake. "Hey Thundercracker, wait!"

The blue Seeker did not stop or even hint that he'd heard the Cassette's calls.

"Slaggit TC! What's _wrong_ with you!" Rumble screamed in frustration.

At this, Thundercracker halted abruptly.

"For the past few cycles you've been actin' real funny, TC! And now you've…you've _killed_ Laserbeak! What do I tell Da- _Soundwave_?"

"_Nothing_!" barked Thundercracker, as he wheeled about to glare hatefully at Rumble. "There is _nothing_ wrong with me! And you will tell Soundwave _nothing_! Nothing!"

"The Pit I will!" yelped Rumble. "I'm telling him _everything_! You…you can't _do_ this TC, you can't kill a comrade, you can't abandon your faction, and you _can't_ turn your back on this war!"

Thundercracker snarled at the Cassette and spun on his heel, he kept walking; his pace was brisk and his movements jaunty. _There must be something really bothering him if he's forgotten that he can fly_, thought Rumble as he watched the Seeker stalk away.

"Hold on now, TC!" shouted Rumble, running after the Seeker once again. "Tell me what's goin' on!"

And for the third time, Thundercracker whipped around to face the persistent blue Cassette. At the same time, he charged his arm-mounted blasters and pointed them in Rumble's face.

"Back off," he warned, "or you'll get the same as Laserbeak!"

"I'll back off when you tell me what's goin' on!" snapped Rumble, not showing how unnerved he was at having a gun shoved in his face. "If you leave…what about Starscream and Skywarp? They're you're brothers! How will they feel if you just up and leave them! They can't fight this war without you!"

The hard mask that the Seeker had kept firmly in place softened slightly, a trickle of pain leaked into his guarded red optics. He hesitated, before simply stating, "I'm sick of it all," and then backed up, transformed swiftly, and rocketed away.

Rumble stood there, not knowing exactly how to feel, but…less confused than he had been previously. Bowing his head, Rumble trudged back to where he had left the body of his brother, thinking hard about what had just transpired. So Thundercracker was sick of it? Sick of what? The war, no doubt. It was the only reasonable answer, but the Seeker had never shown any displeasure about the war before, until today when he'd shot Laserbeak. It hadn't been expected; it had been so sudden and abrupt. What made things worse was that Thundercracker had been miles from the base when he'd killed the condor, so no one had been around to witness it. No one except Rumble.

He'd felt his brother's distress and had gone to see what was the matter; he had arrived just in time to see Thundercracker fire and start to walk away.

"I'm sorry Laserbeak," Rumble whispered as he carefully scooped up the condor's broken body. He stood there for a moment, staring at Laserbeak's dull optics as if he could somehow will the light to return to them. When nothing happened, Rumble's spark gained weight in his chassis and he dropped his head in bitter sorrow. "Scrap," he rasped, speaking agonizingly to himself, "what do I tell Buzzsaw? And Soundwave? He'll be _furious_!"

With a final glance at Thundercracker's retreating form, Rumble trudged back to the base, his spark a ten-ton heap of anguish solidified.

* * *

**End Note:** If you're too upset with me, I'm here with a friendly little reminder to review~ That little button there is so_ pretty_ isn't it? Just so _click-able_!

Oh yeah...I should mention... I've always pictured Soundwave and the Cassettes as having a sort of father/son type bond, in case you were wondering about that little "What do I tell Da- _Soundwave_?" bit... Same with Seekers actually, not with Soundwave, I mean; but I've also always imagined them as brothers to each other. Not serious _brothers_ as in "same creator" or whatnot, but more like "brothers in arms" or something along those lines...

Now that I'm done babbling, go back to that pretty review button! It's calling to you, don't ignore it~_ Please_~


	2. Part II

**Author's Note:** Ugh, I'm too nice. Here's the next part, because I have a handful of subscribers and I want to get this story all posted before I forget about it (like I know I eventually will). _However_, if I don't get **at least** FIVE (5) reviews, I'm not posting the third and final part. I don't care if it's long and thoughtful or just a smiley face (or frowny face, depending on how you like the story), just give me _something_! Subscribing is wonderful, I appreciate that so much, but review's are more potent in making me want to post more quickly! So _PLEASE_, I'm _begging_ you, review! Only five, it's not that much! C'mon, I know you can do it!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Darn...

* * *

**Flyaway**

Part II

Soundwave's reaction upon discovering Rumble bearing the body of Laserbeak on the doorstep of the base was indeterminable; the communications officer was as stoic and emotionless as ever, the mask and visor that had successfully hidden his face his entire life did not falter in the slightest. Instead he only ordered Rumble to transform, gathered the blue Cassette within his chassis, and collected Laserbeak's small body in his large hands with a grace surprising of his massive size.

Soundwave made his solemn procession from the main entrance to his office with an unwavering pace, he was neither in a rush nor was he taking his time; he was merely walking as he usually did. Heads turned as the stoic mech passed, glancing between him and his precious cargo; unsure of what to think or how to react. Some silently wondered how much the dark blue mech could take before he snapped; first his Cassette Frenzy had been sent to Earth and now Laserbeak had been killed. Who was next? Ravage? Ratbat? Surely Soundwave was feeling _something_ about the loss of his Cassettes, his children, the only beings that knew the _real_ Soundwave.

Inside the chassis of his father, Rumble sulked. Only the light pressure of the Cassette Ravage behind him comforted him; though the mechanical jaguar wasn't really one to offer comfort, it did Rumble good just to know he was there and well.

"Rumble, Ravage, Buzzsaw: eject."

Rumble's spark lurched; he hadn't realized that the other condor was present; he'd been too caught up in his misery.

Obedient to Soundwave's summons, Rumble ejected himself from his father's chassis, closely followed by Ravage and Buzzsaw. They transformed simultaneously, Rumble and Ravage landed neatly on the floor while Buzzsaw baited in the air.

Only a moment later, the orange condor let out a terrible screech and dived down into Soundwave's hand, his optics ablaze with horror and agony. Rumble slumped to the floor, feeling for all the world like a worthless pile of scrap. He could not bring himself to look up at Buzzsaw as the condor Cassette lamented the loss of his twin. He suddenly had the uncontrollable desire to _run_ and get away from it all; without looking up at Soundwave or the grieving Buzzsaw, Rumble scrambled to his feet and fled the office. He knew that Ravage had seen him leave, nothing escaped the mechanical cat's sharp optics and it wasn't like Rumble was trying to sneak out or anything. He could also be positive that Soundwave had watched his frantic departure as well, but the massive navy blue mech made no move or inclination to stop him.

Rumble ran as fast as he could, stumbling around corners and skidding to brief halts at closed doors, only pausing long enough to open said doors and then continue on his way. He was, at one point, aware of someone shouting at him about his reckless behavior, but the Cassette could not be bothered, he only wanted to get _away_! It wasn't until he was outside and back at where he had found Laserbeak's body, did he finally stop. He searched the area hastily for any sort of niche in the metallic landscape that he could wedge himself within and shut out the world. He sat huddled like this for countless breems before he heard the rhythmic pulse of wing beats drawing closer.

Buzzsaw.

Rumble offlined his optics, his visor dimming noticeably, and tried to convince himself that the condor Cassette wasn't really there…

'_I don't blame you for my brother's death, you know,'_ Buzzsaw said as he landed in front of Rumble's hidey-hole and peered into its depths. _'I felt his distress just as you did, but you got to him before me and I am eternally grateful. I was playing a recording of information I collected from the Autobots when I sensed it…'_

Buzzsaw lowered his head sadly.

'_I felt it…right in the very core of my spark when he died, but it wasn't until I _saw_ him in Soundwave's hand that it really hit me that Laserbeak was gone… It's a horrible feeling, one I have no desire of feeling ever again nor do I wish it upon any others…'_

"I know the feeling…" muttered Rumble darkly, Buzzsaw tipped his head in confusion and Rumble explained. "Frenzy's dead, too; I _knew_ he shouldn't have gone on that stupid Earth mission!"

'_Then we can relate,'_ stated Buzzsaw curtly. _'I do not see why you have run away, we do not hate you. _I_ do not hate you in the slightest; you're not my twin, but you are still a brother. Now Soundwave wishes to see you, he wants to talk to you and believe it or not, but Ravage is also concerned.'_

Rumble snorted at this. "Ravage couldn't care less about me…"

'_On the contrary,'_ came a smooth, feline voice and the large jaguar appeared from the shadows as was typical of the big cat. _'I am not as cold and uncaring as you seem to take me for. Come on, Rumble, quit wallowing in self-pity and come back to the base.'_

Ravage's large paw snaked into Rumble's niche and prodded the Cassette impatiently. _'I will not stop until you come out, little brother.'_

In hearing the usually smarmy cat call him brother, Rumble felt a small weight lift from his shoulders; Ravage had _never_ called him a brother before. A small smile touched the corners of his lips as Rumble pushed away the jaguar's heavy paw and pulled himself from his hole.

'_There now,'_ said Buzzsaw,_ 'you see, we do not hate you!'_

"It's not just that…" Rumble admitted.

'_Then what is it?'_ asked Ravage, an optic ridge quirked.

"Everything's just so messed up now…Megatron and Starscream ran off with some of our best warriors on that hopeless mission, Thundercracker's abandoned us, we've lost two brothers…and Dad has to deal with the outcome. How much more can he take? How much more can _any_ of us take! I think I'm beginning to see why Thundercracker went berserk and ran away…"

'_Thundercracker has always had a guilty conscious, it was only a matter of time before it got the better of him,'_ hissed Ravage, contempt laced in every word.

'_Do not think you know what was going on in Thundercracker's head because Thundercracker was not of sane mind,'_ said Buzzsaw, taking wing and baiting just above Ravage's head.

The jaguar growled and batted a paw at the condor, but seemed too lazy to really do anything about it.

'_Come now, Rumble, you are being ridiculous,'_ the mechanical cat admonished lightly. _'Well…more ridiculous than usual…'_

"Thanks, Ravage," Rumble replied sarcastically.

'_Anytime, little brother, anytime.'_

'_If you two are done bickering,' _interceded Buzzsaw with false irritation, _'I would like to return to base before we short circuit our already stressed father with worry!'_

"Yeah…wouldn't want that, now would we?"

'_No, we would not,'_ purred Ravage, giving the blue Cassette a gentle shove with the top of his head in a most cat-like manner and, together, the three of them returned home.

* * *

**End Note:** Remember: _FIVE REVIEWS_! I really want to post the last part, it's my favorite and I'm most proud of it; I _really_ want to share it with you guys, but you have to let me know that you want it, too!


	3. Part III

**Author's Note:** Huge thanks to Jaka Tingkir for being the fifth reviewer after I had to wait far too many days, pulling my hair out in frustration of being _one review short_! Gah! But alas, here it is, and I am so overjoyed! The ending of this one is something I'm particularly happy with, so I really hope you all like it. Oh...and I apologize if this seems a bit repetitive at times, I tried to fix that but the fic was being stubborn... I'd blame Rumble, but he's a little depressed right now... _sorryyy..._

So without further ado (aside from the disclaimer) I give you the third and final part of Flyaway.

**Disclaimer:** All Transformers are belong to Hasbro.

* * *

**Flyaway**

Part III

Soundwave was breaking. It was invisible to anyone who didn't know the monotonous mech as well as the Cassettes did, but he was. Rumble saw it the moment he set foot inside his father's quarters. Ravage slunk in after him and Buzzsaw glided in overhead; both condor and jaguar kept their heads low and settled themselves upon Soundwave's recharge berth. They felt the stress that was silently building up inside their Creator, but could think of nothing to say to him. Even Ratbat, who'd been in a deep slumber for a better part of the cycle, was wide-awake and somber—something quite unusual for the otherwise energetic youngling.

The massive blue mech did not linger in his quarters; the moment he saw that Rumble was safe and calmed, he left. Not even bothering to offer his usual business-like excuse. Rumble sighed heavily and slumped to the floor, leaning against the cold metal wall and hugging his knees to his chassis. He bowed his head, hiding his face from his brothers, and feebly hoping that somehow he would become invisible.

What was happening to their world? Cybertron was little better than dead, so why were they still here? What was the point? What was the use of it? Their leader had disappeared vorns ago, others had gone after him, and even more still had perished in an attempt to follow. Their numbers were dwindling and now that Thundercracker had lost it…how many others would follow _him_? How many more would lose their minds to the ferocity and hopelessness of this war? Rumble knew full well that Skywarp wasn't faring well; with both his brothers gone, he had no one to turn to. There was no one that understood him like his brothers had, no one that could make sense of his banter and obscure jokes. Most saw him as a pest, an annoyance, but Starscream and Thundercracker had seen more. And now, no one saw Skywarp at all. Just an empty shell. Primus, everyone was actually starting to _miss_ the old Skywarp. The poor Seeker wasn't acting normal, he wasn't teleporting for every little thing and he kept his mouth shut. It was unnatural.

A sense of dread suddenly consumed Rumble. Things were changing, changing for the worse it seemed. Thundercracker had betrayed them, two Cassettes had fallen, a team of top warriors were off on some far-off planet with no contact possible, Megatron's status was unknown, and the Allspark was—as far as Rumble knew—lost. Was there no hope at all? Soundwave was crumbling; he could take no more of this. Between taking on extra duties when Megatron disappeared to pursue the Allspark and then taking on an unwanted leadership when Starscream, too, went gallivanting off to Earth, plus the deaths of two if his children, it seemed like things could hardly get any better for the mech.

Rumble was sure that they were losing. The Decepticons were falling, being picked off one by one either at the hands of an Autobot or the questionable sanity of their own minds.

'_Rumble…?'_ Ravage took a tentative step in the blue Cassette's direction.

"I thought Soundwave wanted to talk to me," Rumble replied bitterly, his voice muffled as his face was still hidden.

'_I thought he did, too,'_ said Ravage calmly, a trace of bewilderment in his voice due to Rumble's unexplained bitterness and his father's unexplained absence.

"Guess he has nothing worth saying to me."

'_Don't be like that,'_ the jaguar scolded, glowering. _'Soundwave has enough to worry about without you turning on him like this!'_

Rumble froze. "I'd never turn on Dad," he mumbled.

'_I'm sure you wouldn't,'_ said Ravage, icily. _'But you sure as Pit aren't acting like it! You, yourself, admitted to being afraid; you admitted to worrying about how much more Father could take. Now you are contradicting yourself in the worst possible way.'_

Rumble hated to admit, but Ravage was right—just like always. He had to stay strong, he couldn't let the mental stress of war break him down, not now and not ever; for Soundwave, he had to be strong. _He just had to be_. So Rumble sucked in a long breath through his vents and raised his head from his hands, his visor-obstructed stare met Ravage's catlike optics and they held firm. Ravage, despite his feline features, seemed to be smirking as if he knew something—which Rumble didn't doubt was true, that cat had a knack for _knowing_—and he fluidly stepped aside to provide Rumble with a clear view of the door. The blue Cassette pushed himself swiftly, albeit unsteadily, to his feet and brushed invisible dust from his metallic form; and then Ravage bowed his head.

'_Do what you must, little brother_,_'_ the jaguar spoke smoothly, voice low and deadly as always, but strangely affectionate. Rumble blinked at the metal cat in bewilderment…then with gratitude…and then with a deep appreciation; he'd never understand Ravage and he probably never would, the cat had an agenda entirely of his own, but Rumble found that he didn't mind in the slightest. The little blue Cassette nodded to his brother, almost tempted to pat him on the head as he'd seen humans do to their organic pets, as he walked quickly to the door.

He left Ravage to the questions of Buzzsaw and Ratbat, he was more focused now on the mission at hand and it was an extremely important one.

* * *

Rumble wandered the halls of the base arbitrarily; turning here because that smudge on the wall looked kind of like Megatron's face…if you squinted and looked at it sideways, or turning there because it was at this very corner that Soundwave had once been crashed into by Starscream as the seeker stormed the base in one of his infamous fits. He had no method to his meandering, no real reasons for stepping left or jogging right, nothing other than the faints tugs on his spark that quietly willed him this way or that. He only hoped his spark knew what it was doing, because he didn't; he only knew where he _wanted_ to be, not specifically how to _get_ there.

Fortuitously, he found himself wandering into the communications room: Soundwave's domain, shared only with the reclusive Shockwave. However, the cyclopic giant was currently absent, his hulking presence nowhere to be found in the vast chamber of blinking lights and thrumming monitors and computers with complex messages unintelligible to Rumble, but were to Soundwave a well of information. The towering navy mech, himself, was standing blandly in front of one of these monitors, expressionless face directed at the swiftly scrolling transmission in what seemed to be rapt attention. But there was an air of detachment about Soundwave, like he was slowly but surely cutting all ties with the real world as to become utterly exclusive.

So this was how the mighty Soundwave dealt with stress—something no Cybertronian, Decepticon _or_ Autobot, ever imagined they might one day witness. He shut himself down, deleted the only speck of emotion he possessed and gave in to the absolute monotone of a mindless machine—the very thing his voice suggested him to be.

Rumble stood in the doorway, unsure of whether to enter or leave his father to his work. In his hesitation, he observed Soundwave as the mech abruptly reached up and ended the scroll of transmission even though it seemed the message was nowhere near complete. Soundwave continued to stand there, arms hung at his sides and his gaze remained exactly as it had been previously—he seemed an immobile, non-sentient statue. At this, Rumble mustered up all his courage and entered the room, approaching his father purposefully.

"Hey, Soundwave!" he called, trying to temper is naturally obnoxious sounding voice. The giant blue mech showed no reaction—as usual—other than to turn and avert his blanks stare downwards to the little Cassette.

"Rumble: acknowledged."

Hastily, he scrambled onto Soundwave's foot and used it as a stool to boost himself onto the control panel so that he could speak more to the communications officer's face rather than his knee. On an instinct, Soundwave reached out to lift the Cassette, his son, the rest of the way up and Rumble grinned appreciatively.

"What was that super long message?" Rumble asked suddenly, trying to buy a little time to think of how to best approach his mission without causing any unnecessary awkwardness. "Who was it from?"

"Transmission from Starscream," the mech responded, his hesitation almost indeterminable. "Sixty-five of data: inconclusive. AllSpark has been destroyed."

Rumble bowed his head, he nearly regretted asking, but the depressing response was not without its meager rewards. The little Cassette tactfully let the silence remain; while his display of grief was honest, it was also far more thoughtful than it appeared. He looked up at Soundwave, who had not shifted in the slightest the entire time, and said with quiet sincerity,

"Do…do want some help, Dad?"

Soundwave seemed to turn this simple question over and over in his mind, considering its every possible meaning and applying it to the current situation and the means of its inquiry. Then he looked a little deeper, unseen optics flickering from their bland stare into nothingness to refocus on the face of his little Cassette—a face that was quite similar to his and reminiscent of his long gone past. The familiar little face was frowning with worry, the corners of his lips pinched in anxiety, but at the same time there was an abundance of…_something_ in those masked optics. Soundwave couldn't quite place it, but it was an open feeling…a willingness to give and support…and he realized. No matter what angle he took upon Rumble's simple, sincere question, there was only one possible—one _logical_—answer:

"Affirmative."


End file.
